Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Point Loma residents pick sides in Pointers’ stadium proposal

Blue and red signs declare opposing views

A battle of yard signs wages in the neighborhood surrounding Point Loma High School, and it has little to do with the upcoming special election for mayor.

These yard signs debate the results of ballot initiatives of years past. Specifically, Props S (2008) and Z (2012), each of which passed as bond measures funding long-term upgrades to schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Presently, this means significant expansions to the Point Loma High School Stadium, home of the Pointers.

The Pointers' field is slated to receive a new press box, PA system, additional seating, and 90-foot light towers. It's the lights that have many school-adjacent residents riled up enough to plant posterboard on their lawns. They fear nighttime events would upset the neighborhood's "old school and suburban" feel, diminishing quality of life and property values.

Stoking these concerns is a group called "Pro Point Loma." PPL's chief issues are that the introduction of night games will create light pollution, air pollution, parking congestion, and traffic hazards that will unduly burden their small corner of the peninsula. To garner support, the organization has launched a website, set up a Twitter feed, and reportedly hired a PR firm to promote their position.

Sponsored
Sponsored

For the past several weeks, dozens of Pro Point Loma's blue "Save Our Neighborhood" signs have appeared on neighborhood lawns, promoting the group's website and rallying support.

These are not to be confused with the maroon-colored "Support our Neighborhood" signs meted out by another group calling itself "Progress for PLHS." These yard signs sport the school colors, indicating at least a few households are, as one resident says, "fans of Friday Night Lights," who wish to see all scheduled campus upgrades proceed.

Point Loma resident and Progress for PLHS representative Elaine Burrell claims the organization has distributed 100 signs within the past two weeks — without professional PR assistance — and fielded orders for more. The group has also given out a "factual flier" intended to counter some of Pro Point Loma's claims.

For example, the home page of the PPL website suggests the school district will hire out the venue for private events, likening the impact to their neighborhood to that of the Gaslamp during a concert at Petco Park. Meanwhile, the PPLHS flier states, "There is no evidence or record of a plan to hold rock concerts at the PLHS field."

So, who should Pointers believe? The school board claims any night events will be restricted to high school athletics, limited to 19 per year. As to how heavily these events will weigh on the community, it remains to be seen, as a thorough environmental impact report won't be ready until mid-November.

Which brings up an important point: little has technically been decided yet. While the red sign vs. blue sign debate rages on, the stadium expansion's planning process is just getting started. Supporters from each side have been invited to take part in a scheduled series of community planning events involving school-board members, PLHS officials, and the architects designing the particulars of the expansion. If nothing else, the yard signs have done a great job promoting these events.

According to San Diego Unified trustee Scott Barnett, around 200 residents attended such a meeting held on September 18. He says he personally met with many of the concerned residents to assure them the school board will make efforts to reduce any inconvenience, including directional technologies to reduce light and noise pollution caused by the stadium's new equipment. He says the chief reason for lighting the field is to give students a few more hours of practice time during limited after-school hours, especially when Daylight Savings time ends in early November.

In the meantime, while the neighborhood remains free of light pollution, yard pollution appears to be a growing problem. Other signs spotted in the neighborhood included those promoting various security companies, house painters, and real estate agents, positioned on lawns alongside Chargers logos and Halloween decorations. While this fight for neighborhood values may ultimately force concessions from both sides, red and blue, Point Loma residents can apparently agree on one thing: other political yard signs show them to be overwhelmingly in favor their own district's councilman for mayor.

Nobody from Pro Point Loma responded to requests for comment.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Victorian Christmas Tours, Jingle Bell Cruises

Events December 22-December 25, 2024
Next Article

Bringing Order to the Christmas Chaos

There is a sense of grandeur in Messiah that period performance mavens miss.

A battle of yard signs wages in the neighborhood surrounding Point Loma High School, and it has little to do with the upcoming special election for mayor.

These yard signs debate the results of ballot initiatives of years past. Specifically, Props S (2008) and Z (2012), each of which passed as bond measures funding long-term upgrades to schools in the San Diego Unified School District. Presently, this means significant expansions to the Point Loma High School Stadium, home of the Pointers.

The Pointers' field is slated to receive a new press box, PA system, additional seating, and 90-foot light towers. It's the lights that have many school-adjacent residents riled up enough to plant posterboard on their lawns. They fear nighttime events would upset the neighborhood's "old school and suburban" feel, diminishing quality of life and property values.

Stoking these concerns is a group called "Pro Point Loma." PPL's chief issues are that the introduction of night games will create light pollution, air pollution, parking congestion, and traffic hazards that will unduly burden their small corner of the peninsula. To garner support, the organization has launched a website, set up a Twitter feed, and reportedly hired a PR firm to promote their position.

Sponsored
Sponsored

For the past several weeks, dozens of Pro Point Loma's blue "Save Our Neighborhood" signs have appeared on neighborhood lawns, promoting the group's website and rallying support.

These are not to be confused with the maroon-colored "Support our Neighborhood" signs meted out by another group calling itself "Progress for PLHS." These yard signs sport the school colors, indicating at least a few households are, as one resident says, "fans of Friday Night Lights," who wish to see all scheduled campus upgrades proceed.

Point Loma resident and Progress for PLHS representative Elaine Burrell claims the organization has distributed 100 signs within the past two weeks — without professional PR assistance — and fielded orders for more. The group has also given out a "factual flier" intended to counter some of Pro Point Loma's claims.

For example, the home page of the PPL website suggests the school district will hire out the venue for private events, likening the impact to their neighborhood to that of the Gaslamp during a concert at Petco Park. Meanwhile, the PPLHS flier states, "There is no evidence or record of a plan to hold rock concerts at the PLHS field."

So, who should Pointers believe? The school board claims any night events will be restricted to high school athletics, limited to 19 per year. As to how heavily these events will weigh on the community, it remains to be seen, as a thorough environmental impact report won't be ready until mid-November.

Which brings up an important point: little has technically been decided yet. While the red sign vs. blue sign debate rages on, the stadium expansion's planning process is just getting started. Supporters from each side have been invited to take part in a scheduled series of community planning events involving school-board members, PLHS officials, and the architects designing the particulars of the expansion. If nothing else, the yard signs have done a great job promoting these events.

According to San Diego Unified trustee Scott Barnett, around 200 residents attended such a meeting held on September 18. He says he personally met with many of the concerned residents to assure them the school board will make efforts to reduce any inconvenience, including directional technologies to reduce light and noise pollution caused by the stadium's new equipment. He says the chief reason for lighting the field is to give students a few more hours of practice time during limited after-school hours, especially when Daylight Savings time ends in early November.

In the meantime, while the neighborhood remains free of light pollution, yard pollution appears to be a growing problem. Other signs spotted in the neighborhood included those promoting various security companies, house painters, and real estate agents, positioned on lawns alongside Chargers logos and Halloween decorations. While this fight for neighborhood values may ultimately force concessions from both sides, red and blue, Point Loma residents can apparently agree on one thing: other political yard signs show them to be overwhelmingly in favor their own district's councilman for mayor.

Nobody from Pro Point Loma responded to requests for comment.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

Aaron Stewart trades Christmas wonders for his first new music in 15 years

“Just because the job part was done, didn’t mean the passion had to die”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader